Previews

Catwoman

EA brings Batman's sexiest enemy to life, and she looks better than ever.

When I first heard the news that Warner Brothers was planning a movie based on the Catwoman character, I was more than a little surprised. She had always been a minor character in the DC universe, occasionally appearing in Batman titles and the kitchy TV show. In fact, it wasn't until she was portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1992 film Batman Returns that she really registered on the national consciousness. Even then, she was the second fiddle to Danny DeVito's over-the-top Penguin. So why should she get her own movie? Two words: Halle Berry.

Yes, FHM's reigning "Sexiest Female in the World" is playing the feminine feline in the upcoming film, and Warner Bros. is banking on millions of sex-starved fanboys flocking to the multiplexes to get a glimpse of the Divine Miss B's shapely body. It's no surprise, then, that a video game was planned soon after the movie was announced. EA picked up the license and ran with it, with a little help from Argonaut, developer of games like I-Ninja and SWAT.

The game basically follows the plot of the movie, although it starts after all of the pesky backstory is over. I was shown the first level of the game, in which Catwoman must rob a jewelry store to get the diamonds she needs to power-up. It's obvious from the start that EA has set out to make the sexiest game character ever. Catwoman is decked out in high heels and skintight leather, cut so that you can see just enough skin to make you feel all tingly. Even the way she moves is sexy. When she's walking tall, her moves are more like a runway model than a super burglar.

Instead of running while upright, she moves very quickly while crawling on all fours, allowing her to run circles around her many opponents. This is very cool at first, but I started to get the feeling that the enemy A.I. still needed a lot of work. Catwoman could enter a room with four or five bad guys, but none of them seemed to be able to hit her. She simply ran around them, kicking or punching one by one, or into each other. Hopefully the A.I. will be tweaked so that enemies will be able to anticipate which direction she's going in, and plan their attacks accordingly.

The combat system, aside from the A.I. problems, looks very smooth. The game uses the same kind of dual-stick fighting system that was recently used in the Jet Li game Rise to Honor, but it appears to be refined so that the player has more control over the types of attacks Catwoman does. There is a heavy emphasis on environmental attacks, as Catwoman can knock enemies into dumpsters, through plate glass, or into other enemies. I was told that there are no deaths in the game -- enemies are simply incapacitated. While this might be true, I found myself wondering what happens to the enemies when they are knocked off the top of a ten-story building. I guess I didn't see the safety net down below.

As Catwoman is a burglar of sorts, it's no surprise that the game takes place at night. The streets and rooftop are bathed in beautiful moonlight, although some of the back alley levels look as grimy as anything seen in Manhunt. The game is surprisingly well polished, especially when you consider that it is still months from release. Utilizing the same blur technique that Prince of Persia used to perfection, along with some dynamic environmental lighting, EA has managed to make one of the nicest-looking games I've seen in some time.

It will be interesting to see how things pan out for Catwoman. The producers hinted at some ambitious gameplay elements involving Catwoman smelling her enemies' fear, as well as her toying with the baddies before dispatching them. If they can get everything implemented by the July 23rd release date, this just might be the Year of the Cat.